OOPsie...the traveller's Sound Soother is from Sharper Imagine, not Brookstone...my mistake.#-o But I have seen the little machines in more than one store.

Melissa - you're gonna have a ball!

Weather-wise, right now we're hot & humid, & "hot & less humid" should carry on into February.

Having said that, you will be going to 3 different climates: Dunedin - could be quite hot & dry; Te Anau/Queenstown - cool & dry; West Coast - warm & wet.

mlgb's advice is spot-on.

Merv

agcity:
Thanks for the inside info on NZ weather... Layers sounds like the way to go for clothing for February. When you say "hot" in Dunedin, for example, does that mean hot enough for shorts, capris, or light-weight long pants in first half of February? :-?

Usually we pack very light...but it's hard to pack light when you're packing for a range of weather conditions.

I just bought a very light-weight breathable waterproof rain jacket...very packable. From R.E.I.

I also bought a polar fleece jacket on sale...just because it makes me look thinner!! NOW I know what polar fleece is. Just when I have gotten clued in about polar fleece, Merv assures me it is currently hot in NZ! Well, maybe I can wear it if we take the scenic flight and land on a glacier. ((H))

We are freezing our petuties off here in San Diego at 37 degrees...brrrr...It's a record cold for us. My car is freaking out. Our baby turtles outside might freeze. Turtle-cicles, anyone? :(

Our plane flies from LAX to Auckland, but then we transfer to a smaller plane to fly on to Dunedin. I am wondering if the carry-on luggage and check-in luggage rules are different for these 2 flights...

Normally we stuff everything into one 21" carry-on rolling suitcase, and one small 18" duffel bag each. But since I now have to stuff everything from a bikini ((H)) to a polar bear suit :-P into that luggage, I'm not sure if it's big enough. Wonder if I have to buy a new 25" rolling suitcase...Or we could bring 3 pieces of luggage each (2 check-in and 1 carry-on.)

Okay, I don't really wear a bikini any more. This is our 25th wedding anniversary, NOT our 25th birthday. But inside our heads we are still 25 years old...;)

That's 37 degrees Fahrenheit in San Diego, by the way...very very cold for us...We're not used to this.

I'm assuming you are flying Air NZ. If you have an international ticket, they will give you the same baggage allowance on interisland flights, even if you break your trip with a stopover.

Air NZ has good information on their website. You can start here:

http://airnz.co.nz/travelinfo/baggag...in_baggage.htm

Congratulations on the REI expedition. I imagine the polarfleece jacket is getting some use right now!

Have a wonderful trip!

Greetings again, we are finally relaxing after our trip on a Sat afternoon and looking at pictures on the computer. We saw your recommendation on the sound machine, thanks. Here are some further recommendations. Hope you dont mind if I breeze along and dont check my spelling.

Omega rental car company was very good and cheap. They have Toyota Corrolas the renatl was arranged via the i-site company that I told you about. They can arrange rentals, hotel accomodations, search for you, etc... Then you give them your credit card and they bill vouchers for your arrangements and send them to you. It was very easy. Saved a bunch of time. There is no charge fo drop off at a different city.


You mention Dundedin and Queenstown so here are some things from those two places.
In Dunedin, we would recommend a meal at the Speights Brewery. The food was excellent and the beer is very fresh. If you buy Speights elsewhere on the South Island, it's made in Aukland and shipped in, but here is different. Nice place. The nearby Morakai Boulders are worth checking out.

Do you like coffee? Especially latte? Then you need to order Flat Whites. This is a different kind of latte that we became addicted to. Great stuff and sometimes they draw designs in the foam.

While near Dunedin get to the Otago Penninsula to see penguins. Remember that they come in during the times late in the day. We missed them because we didn't know this and had to move on. One of our few regrets.

If you have time to drive south to Nugget Point, you will not be disapointed. Long gravel road back to a parking lot and a trail head to the cliffs and the light house. Breathtaking views and a short beautiful walk. Cool little resteraunt in KaKa Point just before Nugget point, you can catch it on the way back. Looks out over the beach and has great oysters, chowder, beer and wine.
Very cool place. Cant remember the name but there are only two in the village.



A short drive from Queenstown is Amisfield winery and it is a very romantic place with excellent wine and food. We love red and white wine. Before our trip, we often drank New Zealand Savignion Blancs. They are special there, but this region specialized in Pinot Noir. Amisfeild in excellent and better priced than nearby Gibston winery. My wife felt this was a very romantic place for a meal. It's also a little out of town - we thought Queenstown was too busy and crazy, but this was after some great days in the mountains. Also to get away and just relax, we took the Ernsclaw steam boat to the sheep farm for a tour and barbaque. This place was beautiful and the watching them work the dog with the sheep and learning about shearing the sheep was very interesting. The meal was great. This was a relaxing time and getaway from the hustle of Queenstown. Along the drive you can see the famous first place for bungee jumping.

Te Anau resteraunt with great food was the RedCliff Inn. If you are in the mood for a great hike or walk, check at the i-site about the trail head for the Keppler Track. This track is 3 or 4 days, but they can show you how to get on and take a beautiful 1 or 2 hour hike through the rainforest and out onto the lake.

The highlight of our trip was a helicopter ride and hike atop the Glacier. We chose Frans Joseph glacier. You can book these in many ways. It can be a little expensive, but it was unbelievable. We couldnt stop smiling all day.

We are making a judgement from reading your posts, but we would guess you would enjoy your trip more, if you got away from Queenstown as much as possible. The rest of NZ is so different. At least you are not trying to see it all and travel too much. If you can get over to Kaikora for whale watching and crayfish - that was pretty cool. No matter what, youll have a great experience.

mlgb: Thanks very much for the link to Air NZ luggage info...very informative. I posted another question for you under the question about how ladies managed on the Elm Wildlife Tour. I appreciate your help!

SenohDH1: It is fun hearing from someone who has just returned from NZ...thanks for sharing! Will keep Speights Brewery in mind...it might remind us of our fun trip to the pubs in Ireland this summer...enjoyed the beers in Ireland. And yes, I love coffee and lattes... I will try one of those Flat Whites you mentioned.

Do you remember how long it took you to drive from Dunedin to Nugget Point, SenohDH1? Sounds nice. Would like to do that. When we leave Dunedin we are also headed down to Te Anau (probably via Invercargill for husband to see the Tuatara...)

Tell your wife I am keeping in mind that romantic dinner at the Amisfield winery near Queesntown. :-L You have given us a lot of good ideas. Yes, you are right, we don't plan on staying long in Queenstown...we have 3 nights there but that is as a base...we will do day-trips in our car. 1 day to Glenorchy and maybe the Routeburn track for a couple hours... Maybe 1 day for a scenic flight...

Thanks everyone for your support through this Kiwi Panic! Making progress...we're getting things together. However we STILL can't decide which tour to take on Otago Peninsula to see the Yellow-eyed Penguins. But I do have a new raincoat and a new polar fleece jacket...and we'll be in New Zealand before I know it! (Early February.)

I also think Amisfield Winery Bistro would be perfect for the romantic dinner. As in all winery restaurants, be sure to check the hours, they close at 8pm.

http://www.amisfield.co.nz/experienc...urant/overview

SenohDH1: OOpsie! When I said we would enjoy a romantic dinner at the Amisfield winery you recommended, I chose the wrong Emoticon...that mean-faced fellow doesn't belong there...I meant to choose this one... :-X It's our 25th anniversary trip so we want to make it special.

mlgb: Appreciate the link to the Amisfield winery and I see you recommend it as well! Great! Wow, they sure close early. So it's either lunch or a romantic early dinner...

Hi Melissa,
I'd heard a rumor on the Ireland board that you were planning a trip to New Zealand. It sounds terrific! I don't mean to hijack the thread but wanted to let you know that my family had a lovely trip at Christmas this year to Paris and Rome, that I was thinking of your many travels, and to wish you a wonderful 25th anniversary!

Hi Again. We finally had time for a glass of wine around the fireplace and we can't believe what a special trip NZ was. Enjoy.

Glad to hear you're making reservations at the winery. Let them know it's your Anniversary. It's just a nice atmosphere, especially around Queenstown.

I think it was 3 hours or so down to Nugget point, but the end of the drive is mostly gravel and slow, although easy to drive. At the very end is a parking lot and a beautiful trail out to an incredible view. Very nice relaxing place.

If you have the Fodors book on NZ there is a guy who writes a couple of pages about the Southern Drive from Dunedin. He mentions all of the great stops including Nugget Point. To do it justice you would need a few days. We headed the shorter route after Ivencargill up to TeAnau and packed it all in a day. You can see penguins just south of Dunedin and we regret not doing that, but you can't possibly fit it all in. In the end, it's just a matter of enjoying the trip and the time together and meeting others. Another hint if you are wine drinkers. Go to a nice grocery store to buy your wines. All of the rooms have refrigerators. Suavignion Blac is their specialty and one of our favorites. In our humble opinion, they are the best in the world for this grape and wine. If you love white wine, these are awesome. Some of the dry Reislings and Chardonney are also great. The central Otago region does ok with Pinot Noir, but not compared to ours and they are pricy. The resteraunt you will be at has the best.

You'll love the flat whites, might need a sugar in them, but we've been trying to replicate them since our return. I had a head waiter during our trip teach me for several. I'm working on it.

Time sounds close and it seems as though you are less panicked than earlier. This is a good sign. I'm sure that their are issues with leaving home and arrangements, but you'll do great. Wonderful that you got the raincoat. Hope you won't need it, but guessing you will.

Remember to call your credit card company and let them know you will be in NZ. Sometimes they block charges if they dont know. ATMs give the best exchange rate once you get there.

As far as cell phones. Call your company or go to a local office. It's complicated dialing home and even more complicated to dial in NZ from an american cell phone. There are many pay phones so if you get a calling card locally youll be in good shape for that. Also many internet cafe's and laundrymats everywhere. Lots of chances to do clothes if you pack lite.

People are so freindly. I really learned alot reading this site before we left and enjoy helping someone else. My name is Don and I'll share this with my wife Kim.

My mistake the drive to Nugget Point was just over an hour.

rosetravels: Yay, Paris and Rome over Christmas! What a great family trip! When I get back from NZ I'll look for your trip report...good to hear from you. Rome is still my #1 favorite city on earth...so far!

Don & Kim: Thanks for the tips...flight day is approaching...no time to panic, so much to do. Wine is so relaxing but I never know what to buy...I know I like chianti classico because of Italy...don't know my white wines though...the Amisfield winery will be fun... I hope we can see a little of the southern scenic route, though we do have to drive from dunedin to Te Anau in one day. But Nugget Pt. still sounds like it could be a day-trip from dunedin. But there are so many possible activities from Dunedin!

I have booked a very interesting wildlife tour of the Otago Peninsula. An unexpected opportunity came up. Look for my trip report when we return... >:D< Flying away, my hubby and me...to be free...weeeeee

I'm on a see-saw...teetering between eager anticipation and paralyzing panic. 8-) :(( You guys have all gotten me this far. Somehow I have to pack and get through this week...it's always unbelievable when I find my feet on the ground on the other side of the world!

By this point the trip is so close I don't even know what I'm nervous about. Does anybody else get like this before trips? SenohDH1, I think I feel empathic vibes from your wife Kim! Maybe I need to make more lists. I think I have brain-freeze.

Look at my pile of papers, scattered in different rooms. Which ones do I need? :-O What if I forget to bring my basic itinerary and names and addresses of where I'm staying?! Oh, no.

If anybody can relate to this kind of ridiculous unreasoning before-the-trip panic, does anybody do this...you wash all your coats and realize now you have too many and it's terribly important to bring the right ones. #-O Solution? My husband actually packs for me, the dear man! I make a pile of my clean clothes, all neatly folded, next to the suitcases. I give him basic instructions and he pretends to listen carefully. :-P Then I leave the room and he actually packs for me! It works great as he's a good packer and he likes to see me calm.

I am not calm. But I'm goin' to New Zealand! Wow am I lucky! :-D Thanks for putting up with me the whole way, fodorites!

I wouldnt trade your panic in for lack of excitement and enthusiasm. If it goes too far, then you really do neet to start drinking more wine. NZ has lots of tastings at their wineries, so you can experiment and find what you might like. MudHouse is nice for this near Central Otago and really friendly, with great food and ambiance and free. Amisfeld has less range and is a little expensive for just tasting.

From Dunedin, taking a day trip to Nugget point is an excellent idea. If you return late, that's when the Penquin Colony comes out. That way you can maybe take the scenic drive past Invencargill via Riverton and eat at a great cafe overlooking the ocean.

SenohDH1, I certainly can't complain about lack of excitement, always plenty of that around here...and enthusiasm! My 2 young adult daughters were home today and volunteered to make dinner since they knew I was having one of those days. In fact my 19-year-old daughter did a fascinating imitation of me... :-P

Yes it's been a full day-long panic attack today. BUT I think I may have all of my laundry done...yep, every piece that I own. Plus I did my husband's laundry as well. (No wonder it's so easy for him to pack!)

Thanks for all your great suggestions. Haven't heard of MudHouse but I like the name...

OOPs! The above mystery guest, "liacin", was me, Melissa5. Looks like my daughter was using my computer and forgot to log out...

Quick update on Dunedin (Otago). Still warm enough for shorts, but getting a bit cooler at night.

bon voyage!

Merv

agcity, save some warm weather for us! Thanks! :-d

My suitcase is packed! Woo-hoo! Thanks to my husband, we have a nice system. I wash all the laundry, including his. I put all the clothes on the planet that I might want to wear near my suitcase. He packs my suitcase. Works out great, he doesn't mind.

So I'm all packed. Had to go to Costco and buy a new 26" suitcase, a light-weight one, it is 12.5 pounds, lighter than the ones they sold last year. Now still have to gather paperwork, guidebooks, passports, and phone credit card companies, etc.

Can't sleep tonight. I'm too cold. I keep thinking of penguins.